Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Staying Healthy

One of the many issues endurance athletes face is staying injury free.At the ripe old age of 41 staying injury free hasn’t been easy.I have aches and pains but it’s important to discern what is normal and what needs attention.Early on in my training I started having pain on the outside of my left knee.I was told this was ITBS or Iliotibial Band Syndrome.The band that runs along the outside of my left leg was inflamed and caused pain when I ran.I did stretching and exercises which helped for a while.During my training for my first half marathon the ITBS came back with a vengeance.My plans for a half were interrupted by life but the reality is I would not have been able to run it considering the amount of pain I was in.

The next event on my calendar was the Gateway Olympic.Nothing I was doing was helping my ITBS so I turned to other athletes at Beginner Triathlete asking for suggestions.A member posted they had success with ART = Active Release Techniques.I found a Houston provider in Dr. Xavier Cadena.After only 2 appointments I was running pain free.I only wish I had gone sooner!All those months wasted when I could have been pain free.

Since then there have been small issues that likely would have become big issues getting in the way of my training, some shin splint pain and now an Achilles issue I am being treated for.I have been a fan of chiropractic care for years and I like the idea of treating the problem before it becomes debilitating rather than taking off months of training or taking pharmaceuticals.If you are in the Houston area I’d highly recommend Dr. Cadena.If you live outside of Houston you can find an ART provider in your area http://www.activerelease.com/providerSearch.asp.